Giddily married to her best friend. Texas native. A magazine editor. Novelist and writer. Working hard to become published. I'm delightfully whimsical, artsy and creative- almost to the point of sheer goofiness. I take frequent dance breaks wherever I am, whenever I can. My days are spent chasing my two Chihuahua puppies, Bitty and Bear. My motto: Be a happy duckie!
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Thursday, January 08, 2009

BBQ Chicken and Baked Beans

First, before we talk food, many of you have been asking about my book. The Twelve Tales of Christmas is a collection of 12 whimsical stories, including Rosalita(part two and three) and Priscilla Piper. The tales range from romance to whimsical children's stories to suspense (Noelle is haunted by her grandmother's fruitcake, literally.) To order, go here or click on the blue button in the side column of my blog. You can also go to lulu.com and type in my name and 12 Tales of Christmas.

It is a truth universally acknowledged that barbecue, no matter how delicious, never photographs well.

That's right. I just used a Pride and Prejudice reference on barbecue.

I mean, that's the fabulous thing about barbecue, in my opinion. Whether it's ribs (beef, not pork), chicken, brisket, sausage or turkey legs, it all looks about the same. In a professional smoker, it'll be blackened on the outside with pink tender meat on the inside and slathered with sauce. In an oven, it'll be crisp on the outside, tender on the inside and slathered in sauce. On a grill, it'll be slightly charred on the outside, tender on the inside and slathered with sauce.

So no matter which way you cut it, it'll be slathered with sauce.

And I love food slathered with sauce, dripping with dressings and drowned in gravy.

Now, beans have a misfortune in the food world. They're not pretty, they're not particularly colorful and they often look like a simpleton food.

But these beans are my grandma June's beans. And while they're simple to make, they're anything but simple tasting. Bush's Beans and his talking golden retriever don't have anything on my grandma's beans.

The barbecue chicken is part of our New Recipe Series from the Serving Louisiana cookbook my dear mother-in-law gave me for Christmas. I've marked up the majority of this book, so you can be expecting a lot to come from it in the next few weeks. Delicious treats like chicken dressing, chicken and gravy, south of the border pie, chicken spaghetti, chicken and dumplings, brisket, lasagna, creole meatballs, po' boys and baked fish....

Poor Ben. He'll never stick on his diet with me around.

Especially with these in the freezer.

The FDA considers me a hazard to people's health.

But at least we can get some good barbecue in before the dietitians and nutritionists haul me away.

Stay tuned, Invisible Friends! Tomorrow we have an interview with the Cookie-Stealing Bunny! Then this weekend, we have a edition of Candy Animals and a special edition of the Gift, where we learn what happened to the flower! Monday will kick off another chapter of the Gift with a week of whimsical fun (and the answer to what is in the letter!)

Your beans reminded me of how my grandfather would doctor up a can of beans almost ingredient for ingredient. He never added bacon though. My maternal grandparents were too fat-phobic. Obviously I didn't take afte that side of the family.

This is so exciting! I just ordered a copy. And I'm so glad I did b/c it made me discover that I seem to have misplaced one of my credit cards ... too much wine last night at dinner. Anyway, I cannot wait for your book to arrive and to be able to read stories before bed that are printed not on computer paper but in a real bounded book. Amazing!

Speaking from experience it is really hard to make saucy things look good in food photos, especially barbeque and of course beans. Your recipes look mighty tasty though and how could a grandmother's recipe ever be anything but delicious!!! It just can't!!! Must try these. Can't wait to see what you show/write for us next!! Love you sweet friend. XXOO